...Barry T. Offenburger In Thomas Nagels book, “What Does It All Mean”, many questions are brought up that have troubled mankind probably since his existence or time of intellectual thought. Scientist are able to prove that humans have been here on earth between 6-7 billion years. With all these amazing discoveries man has been able to find, we are still unable to answer what seem to be some simple questions about ourselves. Do I really exist outside of my mind or is this all a dream? Do I really have will power or the freedom to choose? What is my meaning to life? These are all topics that depending on where you are from and how you were raised will all affect your theories and/or beliefs behind your answers. With an open mind; however, these questions can open a whole new world of possibilities and maybe what you have thought to be right your entire life, to be viewed as completely wrong. How Deep Does the Rabbit Hole Go? I am sitting in a black desk chair typing this paper, feeling my fingers strike the keys. Looking at the screen but still completely aware of all my surroundings, hearing my neighbors annoying dogs bark as I type. I am feeling a little bothered. I know all of this because I am using my senses to let me know where I am and what I am doing. So the question now gets deeper…How do I know what a chair feels like, what a computer looks like, or even know what a dog is? Is there even a chair? Is all of this real? Or is this all in my mind? Nagel brings up some...
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...parents. Everything in their lives seems in place for them to have happy and successful futures. Their carelessness in conceiving a baby and their subsequent choice to discard of it in a dumpster sets the stage for a future full of misery. "There was no feeling like this, no triumph, no high - it was like being unconquerable, like floating. They kissed every time they met. They said I love you "a hundred times a day". After they discover they are expecting a baby they are in constant battle with each other, "Because they argued now, they wrangled and fought and debated . Jeremy reluctantly answers yes when China asks him if he still loves her. He has "no smile on his face. No human expression at all. They didn't kiss - they didn't even touch. Jeremy cannot even conjure an image of China in his mind while he is away from her Jeremy similarly tries to picture his mother but he cannot. He probably feels the same dis attachement from China as he did from his mother, who is shacked up for the weekend with a man that she has been dating. China is even prepared to testify against Jeremy in his trial saying that he acted alone because she never saw the baby. China is about to graduate from high school with a G.P.A. in the top ten, and has already been accepted to her first choice college after which she plans to go to grad school. Jeremy's G.P.A. too will put his in the top...
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...possible consequences of her actions. Mentally, she knew that she was pushing her family away, but she did not do anything to avoid these consequences. A drug addiction may cause a person to disregard negative outcomes,“Addictive substances hijack the brain's reward system, weakening our resolve to make wise choices even when painful consequences are sure to result.” (Scholastic Choices) During various episodes, Deb could not mentally keep away from her...
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...Name Course Instructor Institution Date of Submission Introduction The Athenian democracy developed in Greece in the 5th Century BC. It is the oldest known democracy in the world, and it was the most developed of all democracies that were prevalent during its time. Athenian democracy was a form of direct democracy. Citizens had the privilege to approve or disprove legislations and executive bills directly through a vote. To vote, one had to meet certain qualifications. They had to be of the age of majority and be of the male gender. Comics and political satire that was played in the theaters influenced the politics of that time. Pericles was the longest serving leader of the Athenian democracy. After his death, the Athenian democracy declined in its prominence after the Macedonians suppressed it in 322 BC. It was revived decades later. Pericles View of the Athenian Democracy The most notable aspect of Pericles contribution to Athenian democracy was his devolution of political power to the people. As the leader of Athens, Pericles gave the citizens the power to participate directly- as opposed to representation through representatives- in all matters of legislation and policy. He also increased the number and salaries of civil servants to ensure their commitment and participation in effective governance. Besides giving the power to the citizens, Pericles established various institutions such as the courts, the assembly, and a council that foresaw the execution of policies...
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...much in the grand scheme of things. The computer was an intentional social change; it was created to better the quality of life, yet it was controversial. Many people had difficulty recognizing that trusting in technology was okay. Genetic engineering is ongoing and is very controversial. Some people feel that using genetic engineering is interfering with God’s natural intentions. The invention of the car was intentional and mattered a lot more than other social changes. Without the invention of the car, cultures would not have developed and expanded at near the rate that they did. Modernization by definition is the process of social change begun by industrialization. The key features of modernization are the decline of small, traditional communities, the expansion of personal choice, the increase of social diversity, and orientation toward the future and a growing awareness of time .Religious freedom, individualization, urbanization, and diverse marriages are all example of modernization. The features of these four examples are the expansion of personal choice, and the increase of social diversity. Modernization will continue to occur as the key elements of the key features of modernization occur....
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...The start of a new year prompts many people to make resolutions. However, a lot of people fail to follow the New Year’s resolution they made. This repeated failure impedes the ability to make changes in the future. Dr. Jo Ann Unger, from Clinical Psychology Manitoba, said in a broadcast with Brett Megarry at the Shadoe Davis show that poor choices for change will fail and could have harmful effects in the long-term. She explained that repeated failures damage self-esteem and confidence. Not good reason enough Making resolutions has become a tradition. But for Unger, making a resolution just because it is the new year is not good enough reason. When making a change, it is really important to think about why we are doing it. She added that...
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...In the book Touching Spirit Bear, the main character is a boy named Cole Mathews. He is very aggressive towards other people and as a result has been to multiple juvenile detention centers and police stations. There was one situation where he robbed a hardware store, trashed it, then bragged openly about doing it because the police hadn't caught him. A boy named Peter turned him in and as a result, Cole beat up Peter to the point where he had to be hospitalized and later had speech issues. Cole went to yet another juvenile detention center where an officer visited him regularly and informed him about a program called Circle Justice where instead of locking the kid up, they help them “heal”. Cole was accepted and they decided to put him on an...
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...Daimlerchrysler Merger the Quest to Create “One Company” By cosmonaut21 | October 2012 Zoom In Zoom Out Page 1 of 3 Question 1 In order to understand and be critical on Daimler’s choice of partner, apart from the motives presented in the case, one also needs to consider the enterprise environment trends during the time. 90’s was a wave of mergers and acquisitions characterized by Cross-border ventures (Lipton M., 2006). According to Lipton it was an era where size mattered and mergers were considered the one-way to internationalization and market expansion. Furthermore, nine of the ten largest deals in history all took place in the three-year period 1998-2000. Having established that, one can understand that Daimler was under market and investor pressure to go large. In such an environment, a European company would think of an integrative expansion to the vast US market as the best strategy (Japanese market too cultural different). So, from the choices of either founding a new subsidiary (high risk) or seeking for a JV, or an acquisition or a merger Daimler went for the merger. It was an effort to meet the environmental trend by increasing market share and to make a big impact to the larger competitors. Comparing the three great American car companies, GM was too large (in 1997 GM had $178b revenues compared to Daimler’s $71b) and difficult to control, Ford had investor issues (Ford family), but Chrysler, a similar size company, would seem the...
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...Gender and Language Introduction: Kornheiser and Thompson wrote the articles about the topic of gender and language. We can discover some interesting similarities and differences between these two authors' main ideas about this topic. We can know more about their ideas of gender and language by comparing and contrasting them. Kornheiser's article, No Detail Is Too Small for Girls Answering a Simple Question, states that girls tell everything they have experienced, while boys like telling specific things and focusing on how things eventually go. Kornheiser gave examples of his daughter and son. He asked his daughter how was the camp she just came home from, but his daughter told every single detail during the trip to the camp. She did not tell him the most important part of the camp. Kornheiser explained why: "Because this is what girls do (and when they grow up and become women, they do it, too, as any man can vouch for). They gather information and dispense it without discrimination. Everything counts the same!" (306). He also asked his son about his camp, and his son gave him a short and straight answer. This also proved what he said: "Boys do not gather and retain information, they focus on results." (306). In He and She: What's the Real Difference? of Thompson, he reported a scientific way from Koppel's' group, a group of computer scientists to figure out how women and men communicate differently. He states that Koppel's group is the first to create an actual machine...
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...family, until the Holocaust came around. He was a healthy kid who lived in the town of Sighet. He had a loving family, and he would always pray during his free time. Later on, German troops started arriving and everything after that had become a battle for survival. When the troops came, Elie and his sister got asked if they wanted to seek a shelter and not be taken away. However, they would be separated from their family, “My father wouldn’t hear of it. He told me and my big sisters, “If you wish, go there. I shall stay here with your mother and the little one…” Naturally, we refused to be separated” (Wiesel 20). Elie had a chance to escape in the beginning of the book, but because he loved his family so much, he didn’t. This one little choice affected his life because he either would have been safely hidden, or he had to endure the harsh reality of the Holocaust. Because of his family, he stayed and it shows that Elie would do anything to stay with his family. Later on, Elie and his sisters along with their mother got separated. The girls and the boys had to go to different lines and that was the last time he saw his mother. During this period, Elie almost lost his father but he didn’t, “We did not know, as yet, which was the better side, right or left, which road led to prison and which to the crematoria. Still, I was happy, I was near my father” (Wiesel 32). In this scene, the SS officers were questioning their prisoners on their age and profession. Elie and his father were...
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...daily basis be it choosing clothes or food, walking to college or taking the bus. But there are some choices we make that alter our life. Choices have a long lasting impact on our soul. We might be 60 one day but the fear that aroused in us while letting someone go at the age of 18 cannot fade way. Some decisions need to be taken then and there but we are not ready, we want to stand before the two paths and think , ponder about their end because once we have chosen a way we certainly cannot come back. Both the choices seem extremely appealing causing the human mind to jam. But that is not the way life goes. Time flies and we are the one flying the plane. If we waste too much time in the air not moving forward our fuel would end and the plane would crash. No one wants their life to go to waste therefore making a choice is necessary. We often say that we have to live our life alone but that is not true, everyone needs a partner with them a friend or a soul mate. I was 26 when I realized that I need someone in my life that I can trust and ask for support. I had this girl in my mind since two years she was decent and lively. I felt life when I was around her while on the other hand was my cousin who had loved me ever since she got familiar with the word love. The entire family was longing for our wedding. Now that I took marriage seriously I had two choices, choices that mattered, that would make or break my entire life. Just as Robert frosts poem suggests I had two roads diverged...
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...Davis v. The Board of County Commissioners of Doña Ana County Wanda Pennywell Professor Jama Rand HRM 510 July 16, 2011 Abstract In this paper I will discuss the case of Davis v. the Board of County Commissioners of Doña Ana County. In this case Joseph Herrera an employee at the detention center was accused of sexually harassing the female inmates. Herrera’s supervisor at MVH where he was employed, advise Herrera that they will taking actions to discipline him due to the complaints and Herrera resigns. Herrera asks his employers to give him a letter of recommendation for an employer he was applying for and the supervisors give him an outstanding recommendation. His supervisors neglect to tell the prospective employer that at the time of his employment he was under investigation for sexual harassment. Because they did not disclose that information they employed Herrera and he repeated his actions. 1. What was the legal issue in this case? The legal issue in this case is whether or not the Doña Ana County Detention Center was responsible for the actions of Joseph Herrera. While working for the Doña Ana County Detention Center, Herrera was under investigation for sexually harassing various females in the detention center. The sexual harassment claims involved sexual statements and comments, requesting to have sexual relations with the inmates and in some cases receiving sex from the inmates in return for assisting them with various different things. The...
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...According to Statistics Canada, ninety five people died across Canada in 2012 due to gang related homicides. In the short story “On the Sidewalk Bleeding” by Evan Hunter, the protagonist Andy learns how bad choices can affect someone. Also, Andy enjoys being in a gang but he should not put it before his future. The protagonist made choices that were going to haunt him forever. Furthermore, realizing the past self centered teen he had been, Andy tries to care for someone else other than himself for once. The life of a teen is characterized by the choices made throughout their life. What one enjoys doing should not be put in front of duties. Andy displays himself as a brave gang member and he eventually realizes that he is endangering loved...
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...Name Professor Course Date NOTES OF A NATIVE SON Introduction According to Baldwin J, the life of the native was divided into different sections in terms of interaction, communication and livelihood in general. The relationship between the family members was also an issue that created an unthinkable segregation. Baldwin J gives a believe history of how the community he lives in was interacting and how life was as a native and especially a Negro. The writing revolves about the interaction between the natives and especially regarding their family lives. Baldwin misjudged his father but as he grew up and faced the reality he came to understand why his father’s attitude was valid and genuine even though, the attitude was bad. Baldwin change of altitude is much visible in the context of his writing. Change of Baldwin’s attitude Baldwin developed hatred toward his father at a very tender age. According to James, he being young exposed him to very difficult things that made him develop hatred for his own father. It is evidently seen when Baldwin states that “In my mind’s eyes I could see him, sitting at the window, locked up in his terror; hating every living soul including his children”(590). The attitude of his father not connecting or communicating well with other individuals made his see that his father was proud and self-centered. As a young boy, Baldwin could see how his father distanced himself from other people and especially the white people. Baldwin could not understand...
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...that “nothing is impossible”. In 1982 New Zealand was quite a different country; imports of many products were restricted so consumers didn’t have much choice and the products that were available were often expensive. The government had imposed a wage and price freeze and getting a housing loan required a savings record for 3 years before you were able to borrow at 18% interest and more! Shopping in New Zealand meant going to stores like George Courts and Haywrights; big established stores in towns and cities. Stephen and his team took a different approach; The Warehouse was located in the suburbs, with basic sheds, bins and racks and concrete floors. The Warehouse sold things never seen before in NZ such as banana loungers, rattan blinds and soccer ball radios, in fact the first Warehouse stores were filled with things that other companies couldn’t sell! When sales took off Stephen and his team went looking for suppliers and goods from around the world that could provide real bargains for Kiwi shoppers. With a relentless focus on keeping costs down and reinvesting profits to ensure prices were low the company culture began to develop in a unique (and successful) manner. The other way in which The Warehouse was different to its competitors related to the people who worked for it – from the very beginning they mattered. There were Friday night barbeques, monthly team meetings and a chance to socialize afterwards, the famous red t-shirts worn by all staff including managers...
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